IPC

Table of Contents Introduction What Is an IPC Unit? Fundamental IPC Mechanisms 3.1 Pipes and FIFOs 3.2 Message Queues 3.3 Shared Memory 3.4 Sockets 3.5 Signals and Semaphores Designing an IPC Unit in Software 4.1 Abstraction Layers 4.2 API Design Considerations 4.3 Error Handling & Robustness Hardware‑Accelerated IPC Units 5.1 Why Off‑load IPC to Silicon? 5.2 Typical Architecture of an IPC IP Block 5.3 Case Study: ARM CoreLink CCI‑400 & CCI‑500 Performance & Scalability 6.1 Latency vs. Throughput Trade‑offs 6.2 Benchmarking Methodologies 6.3 Optimization Techniques Security and Isolation 7.1 Namespace & Capability Models 7.2 Mitigating Common IPC Attacks Practical Examples 8.1 POSIX Shared Memory in C 8.2 ZeroMQ Pub/Sub Pattern in Python 8.3 Boost.Interprocess Message Queue in C++ Testing & Debugging IPC Units Future Directions Conclusion Resources Introduction Inter‑process communication (IPC) is the lifeblood of modern computing systems. Whether you’re building a microkernel, a high‑frequency trading platform, or an embedded sensor hub, the ability for distinct execution contexts to exchange data efficiently, safely, and predictably determines both performance and reliability. ...

Introduction Inter‑process communication (IPC) is the backbone of modern Linux systems. While network sockets dominate distributed architectures, Unix Domain Sockets (UDS) remain the de‑facto standard for high‑performance, low‑latency communication between processes on the same host. When the processes belong to different user sessions—for example, a system service running under root needs to talk to a per‑user graphical application launched from a login session—the problem becomes more nuanced. Permissions, namespace isolation, and the presence of multiple login sessions (think multiple users logged in via X11, Wayland, or SSH) all interfere with naïve socket designs. ...

Introduction Inter‑process communication (IPC) is the backbone of any modern operating system. While pipes, shared memory, and message queues each have their niche, Unix domain sockets (often called Unix sockets or IPC sockets) occupy a sweet spot: they provide a network‑style API with the speed and security of local communication. In this article we will explore Unix domain sockets from first principles to advanced usage, covering: The conceptual model and history of Unix sockets The three socket types (stream, datagram, seqpacket) and address families Practical examples in C and Python, including non‑blocking I/O and event loops Security, performance, and debugging considerations Real‑world scenarios where Unix sockets shine (web servers, databases, systemd, containers) Advanced techniques such as passing file descriptors and using ancillary data By the end of this guide you should be able to design, implement, and troubleshoot Unix socket based IPC solutions confidently. ...